Glenshane Pass to Sperrins Summit — Tyrone and Derry Upland Road via Mullaghash

The Sperrin Mountains in Northern Ireland don’t get the same press as the Mournes or the Antrim coast, and that’s exactly why you want to be up here. The track from Glenshane Pass climbing west toward Mullaghash and the Tyrone border crosses some of the most untouched blanket bog in the British Isles — miles of amber heather, cotton grass, and peat hags with no one else around. The road itself is a mix of narrow tarmac ribbons degenerating into rough unclassified Council-maintained boreens, and the summits give you views south into Tyrone and north all the way to Lough Foyle on a clear day. Sawel Mountain at 678 metres is the high point of the Sperrins, and the approach tracks off the main road toward it are genuinely boggy challenges after autumn rain.

Moderate difficulty overall, but individual spur tracks can get properly soft and sticky — a 4WD with decent ground clearance handles the main route, but the off-piste spurs toward the summit approaches want a lifted rig and recovery kit. No permit needed on public roads; the upland boreens can be driven under Right of Way but treat the peat with respect. Best months are May through September. Maghera or Dungiven for fuel. Water crossings are minor fords — nothing serious in summer. What you get is genuine solitude and big open sky in a landscape that feels genuinely ancient.